Factbox: What countries are doing to regulate children's access to social media By Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) – Australia passed a social media ban for children under 16, one of the world's strictest regulations targeting big technology companies. This is what Australia, European countries and technology companies have been doing to regulate children's access to social media.

AUSTRALIA

The new law forces tech giants, from Meta, owner of instagram and facebook (NASDAQ , to TikTok to prevent minors from logging in or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million). A test of methods to enforce the ban will begin in January, and the ban will take effect within a year.

OWN REGULATION OF technology

Social media platforms including TikTok, facebook and Snapchat say people must be at least 13 years old to sign up. However, child protection advocates say monitoring is insufficient and official data in several European countries shows that large numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.

GREAT BRITAIN

Britain has no current plans to impose Australia-style restrictions. But digital minister Peter Kyle has said everything is on the table when it comes to keeping people safe online and has launched a study to explore the impact of smartphone and social media use specifically on children.

He said regulator Ofcom must take into account government priorities, such as security by design and transparency and accountability, as they enforce the Online Safety Act from next year.

The law, which sets stricter standards for social media platforms such as facebook, YouTube and TikTok, including appropriate age restrictions, was passed in 2023 by the previous government.

NORWAY

The Norwegian government last month proposed raising the age at which children can consent to the terms required to use social media from the current 13 to 15, although parents would still be allowed to sign on their behalf if are below the age limit.

The center-left government also said it had started working on legislation to set an absolute minimum legal age limit for social media use, but it was not immediately clear when a law requiring it might reach parliament.

According to the government, half of Norwegian nine-year-old children use some type of social media.

EU LEGISLATION

In the European Union, parental consent is required for the processing of personal data of children under 16, although the bloc's 27 member states can reduce that limit to 13.

FRANCE

In 2023, France passed a law requiring social platforms to obtain parental consent for children under 15 to create accounts. However, local media say that due to technical problems it has not yet been implemented.

In April, a panel commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron recommended stricter rules, including a ban on cellphones for children under 11 and phones with Internet access for those under 13. It is unclear when new legislation could be adopted and to what extent expert opinion would be followed. recommendations.

GERMANY

Officially, minors between 13 and 16 years old can only use social networks in Germany if their parents give consent. There are currently no plans to go further. However, child protection advocates say the controls are insufficient and call for existing rules to be better implemented.

BELGIUM

In 2018, Belgium enacted a law requiring children to be at least 13 years old to create a social media account without their parents' permission.

NETHERLANDS

While the Netherlands has no law on a minimum age for social media use, the government banned mobile devices in classrooms starting in January 2024 to reduce distractions. Exceptions apply for digital lessons, medical needs or disabilities.

ITALY

In Italy, children under 14 years of age need parental consent to register on social media accounts, while no consent is required from that age onwards.